THE DECISION to re-fix the All-Ireland club football semi-final between Corofin and St Gall’s for next Saturday evening hasn’t pleased the Galway champions.
Yesterday’s Central Competitions Control Committee meeting in Croke Park took the decision to stage the match at 7.30pm at Parnell Park. “We’re not over-happy about this,” was the reaction of Corofin manager Gerry Keane.
“We have a lot of supporters coming across for the match, including children, and it’s very late to be turning around and heading home. We feel it’s unfortunate because the venue could have been changed or even gone to a Sunday. “Ironically we decided against playing a challenge in Parnell Park under lights because we figured that we’d be playing in the afternoon. Anyway we’re not overjoyed but we’re concentrating on the game and getting on with it.”
The rationale behind the scheduling is influenced by TG4, which will be showing the Sigerson Cup final on Saturday afternoon and which has already committed to covering NHL matches on Sunday. This left Saturday evening as the only available slot and the match will be broadcast live.
CCCC were also considering a representation from Longford concerning last Saturday’s NFL match against Limerick when referee Seán Carroll blew for full time just as Séamus Hannon kicked the ball to the net despite the ball not having gone dead as required by this season’s experimental rules.
Nonetheless there is no provision under rule to offer Longford any remedy. Rule 7.10 (n) specifically states that “no objection or counter-objection may be submitted on grounds that a referee had incorrectly allowed or failed to allow a score”.
In 1995 after Laois had controversially beaten Carlow in the Leinster championship by a point that hadn’t actually gone over the bar a re-fixture was sanctioned by the provincial council. But the offering of such re-fixtures had no grounding in the Official Guide and the practice was subsequently discouraged by Croke Park.
Other matches to be re-fixed after postponements last weekend: in Division Two Laois v Kildare for 5.45 at O’Moore Park, Portlaoise; Armagh-Mayo in Division Three A, which goes ahead in Crossmaglen; Fingal-Wicklow in Division Three B in Swords; and Longford-South Down in Division Four at Pearse Park – all of which will take place on Saturday, March 6th, at 2.30pm.
The Division Four fixture between Monaghan and Fermanagh takes place the following day at 12.45 in Inniskeen.
